An Experiment of Sorts
by TwelveThousandFandoms
Summary: Things are going slowly at the Task Force headquarters and L doesn't have anything to occupy his mind. He needs something new, something to work on. He devises an... experiment. L/Light during the "chained" period of course. Nothing hot and heavy but be warned.


**Disclaimer: My name is not Shonen Jump nor is it Viz Media so I have no ownership of these characters other than these short times when I can borrow them to bend to my insidious will :] Just kidding this will be cute I promise.**

**An Experiment of Sorts**

Task force headquarters had been in doldrums for days. All progress on the Kira case had been dwindling and had finally ground to a halt earlier in the week, but no one dared acknowledge the fact. Every man there had a reason for continuing on fruitless trails and reviewing information gathered weeks ago; perhaps the next lead would be the one that broke the case, or maybe someone had missed a small but crucial detail buried in the files right under their noses! These were very nearly valid excuses and maybe they even believed themselves when they whispered excitedly over tables covered in leafs of paper and mugs of coffee long gone cold. However, their nervous glances to the back of the room betrayed them. Even the scatterbrained Matsuda took to heart that the true reason for the silence was for fear of stirring up the ire of the man who was perpetually slumped in front of the largest panel of computer monitors. L did not cut much of an imposing figure at first glance, perched atop his office chair with a thumbnail tucked firmly under his front teeth, digitized information passing at lightning speed on the screens in front of him reflected in his dark eyes that never seemed to blink.

One night near eleven pm Aizawa stiffened in his seat. He held in his hands two sheets of paper from the "Tips from the Public" file he had strewn in front of him tonight. It had been as much a long shot as what he and the others had occupied themselves with in recent days and frankly the least annoying (read: idiotically amusing) task he could give himself and still justify getting paid for his time. Throughout the file he had come across such tips as "Kira is the principal of my school. Detention every day for a month can only come from the mind of a killer", and "I can give you the true name of Kira right now. It is Pepper, my sister's parrot. I see it in his eyes and fear for my safety as well as that of the rest of the world. Please just come arrest this damned parrot." But now he felt as if what he'd stumbled upon could actually be viable. A possible lead!

"Ryuzaki!" Aizawa sprang from his seat with such force that his chair overturned and he nearly went sprawling across the room, righting himself just as he arrived at the master detective's shoulder, who made no move to turn or otherwise acknowledge his panting subordinate.

"Ryuzaki, these two tips! They've got nearly identical descriptions of Kira's whereabouts _and _methods and I remember separating the people in the file who had connections to each other. This could be-"

"Wrong". L cut him off, sighing and turned his entire chair to face the nearly manic Aizawa. He blinked once slowly, and went on, his tone becoming increasingly annoyed; "I too recall removing tips from within families, employers, and school grades, but I left it to you to study the prevailing internet theories. That was my own mistake but I expect you to familiarize yourself with the public's opinions so that no more time is wasted."

Aizawa's shoulders slumped, his jaw clenched, and his lip raised in a small snarl. In response, L's brows drew almost imperceptibly together and he leaned forward slightly, ready to counter any arguments Aizawa used to defend himself. Just as he drew a breath to do so, a small but badly disguised yawn sounded from directly behind L and the taut cord of frustration between them loosened dramatically as they both turned to look at the source.

Light Yagami sat sleepily, one leg crossed over the other and an elbow leaning on the desk beside him, propping up a temple in his palm. His other arm lay limp at his side, weighted at the wrist by a thin yet sturdy chain that linked him to L, a precaution they'd both agreed to so as to eliminate any suspicion on L's part that Light could be the culprit they sought, but that had the outwardly unfortunate side effect of forcing them to sync their schedules. "Syncing schedules" was what they'd decided on anyway, though what seemed to be happening was L keeping his same ridiculously rigorous working hours and Light being expected to adjust. The result of the adjustment was clear as his eyes unfocused and refocused and his head began to dip forward. He noticed the other two staring however and, clearing his throat, straightened his back and returned their gazes with a sheepish smile.

"Yes…" L began in his usual bored monotone, "I believe Light has a point. Results won't be forthcoming if the only people capable of extracting them are thinking of nothing but their beds. You should all go home and get some rest. And research", he glanced pointedly at Aizawa who bristled visibly and raised a warning finger to L's passive face before Watari began helping him don his overcoat with a little more force than was strictly necessary. Soon, with a few tired "Goodnights" and a "see you tomorrow" or two that Light politely returned and L did not, they were alone.

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Ten minutes later L had yet to shut down his computer station but neither did he return to absorbing the scrolling figures and information as he had been. Instead he sat with his back to the desk, staring thoughtfully between his knees to his feet where his toes were crossing and uncrossing absently. Light felt exhausted irritation buzzing in the back of his head but chose to stay silent. Lately even _he _was reluctant to make suggestions to the detective as the stopper in the flow of information had seemed to hit L hard. His brain was like a cat in a slippery bathtub, running around and around and if anything was dangled in, he was likely to sink his claws in, as he had been so keen to do to Aizawa earlier and Light had no desire to be verbally mauled that night.

Fifteen minutes after that however, his patience was gone and he hoped that the detective was at least a little fatigued, or that at his fondness for his young friend would win over the need for argument. Whichever won out was unclear but it had the desired effect of L answering Light's tentative " Um… were we going to go up to bed soon or do you have more work to do?" with a sighed "Let's go". They each gathered a small amount of the chain in their hand to prevent dragging (this had long since become unspoken habit) and made their way to the elevator, L punching in the long code for their shared apartment.

By the time they'd ascended to the 19th floor where they made their temporary home Light was leaning against the wall of the elevator, breathing softly and evenly in what were almost snores. L watched him for a moment, somewhere between tenderness and the impatient annoyance that had been with him all day and gave the chain a jerk that jarred Light awake and momentarily confused. L shook his head and led the way into their room where he knew the large down-mattress bed would be a welcome sight to his companion.

Exhausted, but a creature of habit, Light removed his shoes, sliding them under the bed before retrieving his pajamas from the wardrobe and beginning to unbutton his shirt. As had been the nightly custom since Light had informed him that staring at people while they were changing made them uncomfortable, L averted his eyes and busied himself with a loose string on the inside seam of his greying white shirtsleeve. It wasn't until moments later, when he heard a frustrated grunt that he looked up and cracked into a half-smile before he could stop himself. The boy-genius turned junior- detective had apparently, in his nearly sleeping state, found the task of unbuttoning and removing his shirt to be overwhelming and now looked pitifully at the still fastened button between his fingers. Brows knit together and lower lip caught between his teeth he pulled and twisted the button, never quite freeing it.

He let out something dangerously close to a whimper and let his arms fall while collapsing to sit heavily on the bed. L quirked an eyebrow and reached his hands towards his defeated friend's chest where they were batted away with what he supposed was all of Light's strength at the moment. He tried again and this time he was not stopped. He quickly popped each button out of its hole and let the shirt fall open, exposing Light's thin chest. He stepped back, expecting the shirt to be removed fully with no more help from him, but no move was made. He furrowed his brow and came forward again to slip the shirt from tan shoulders and when he leaned over Light's lolling head to remove his arms from the shirt quickly removing the metal cuff and replacing it to facilitate this; he couldn't help but take a moment to study his back.

There was nothing particularly interesting about it and he admitted to himself that he was a little disappointed. Light had always been careful to remind him during times of hygienic care and relief that it was impolite to stare at someone's uncovered body unless they gave you express permission, but L himself had no such qualms. He had been raised among scores of other boys and community bathing was a necessary reality. It was simply biology after all and being free of deformities and kept fairly well in shape by his martial arts and assorted sports he knew he had nothing to be ashamed of although impressing anybody was the furthest thing from his mind. He had always respected Light's wishes though and had never so much as stolen a glance in the bathroom mirror as he'd stripped for a shower, but to make sense of such a silly rule he'd been secretly hoping that the student's body was covered in a fabric induced skin condition where clothed or perhaps obscene tattoos, but disappointingly the only rationale seemed to be modesty…

His train of thought was derailed by a cold spot on his prominent rib cage as Light took a deep breath into his thin baggy t-shirt. L froze. "_Did he just __**sniff**__ me_?" he wondered as Light released the breath against the fabric, warming the skin of his stomach. He backed away, the question on his lips but as he broke contact where the young man's head had been leaning on his chest, he started to lean forward at an alarming rate. "_He's completely asleep now" _He observed to himself as he rushed to catch Light's shoulders in a steadying grip. He held them firmly between his long pale thumbs and forefingers as he did all other things and used this same grip to pivot and lower his upper body onto the bed before lifting each foot by the pant-leg off of the floor and placing them in what he hoped was a comfortable enough position.

L considered the neatly folded pajamas and replaced them in the wardrobe. Undressing the boy had been bad enough, there was no reason to attempt a full clothing change and risk waking him. Not to mention that he was already anticipating a at least a morning of Light's endearing blushing and embarrassment when he realized that he had been so out of it that he couldn't even take off his own shirt, that he had been seen in an improper state, and he couldn't imagine what he'd be in for if he endeavored to remove the pants as well. No, best to just let the boy sleep for tonight. He lifted the chain and walked around to his side of their shared bed (much more convenient this way. They'd tried twin beds but that had been put to rest when l had fitfully tossed and pulled Light onto the floor). He stepped onto the bed and settled into his sitting position, wishing for once that they weren't wearing the chain. Sometimes he wondered if that was the case, if Light would still come to him. Would the student even choose the workstation next to L on the Task Force floor if he had a choice? He hoped so. They challenged each other and sometimes just having Light around made him go down avenues of thought he'd have never considered before. He found him… inspirational in a way.

Light rolled onto his side and lay facing L. His eyebrows were drawn together in a small frown, but L recognized this as the normally placid boy's sleeping face. L moved his gaze across Light's naturally tan chest, and his lightly defined arms, but when he reached his navel, lightly dusted with small dark brown hairs that led under the waistband of his slacks, L had the uncomfortable feeling that he was leering and looked quickly away. Slowly though he was drawn, leering or no, to the swoop that created a valley on his side between his ribcage and hip. L reached out and experimentally rested his knuckles against the soft skin of Light's side, watching the sleeping boy's face for any sign of disturbance. When there was none, he extended his thumb and brushed it slowly across the unfamiliar territory noting its warmth despite the chill or the air-conditioned room. He withdrew his warmed thumb and placed it against his bottom lip, contemplating. He then placed a steadying palm flat on the bed between him and his sleeping friend and leaned forward, pressing his lips to the skin just above Light's hip.

The flesh was firm, but with a little give, and was soft against the detective's lips and he struggled for something to equate it to. He decided on jelly candy. The type Watari often brought to him when there was no chocolate to be found, sometimes in the shape of bears, sometimes worms, once he believed he had even sampled one in the shape of a shark but he enjoyed them all the same. They were pliant and soft and fruity sweet. Suddenly he wondered… He parted his lips the barest of gaps and slid the tip of his tongue against the smoothness of Light's skin. Not fruity. Not quite sweet… He held the flavor in his closed mouth and exhaled through his note to amplify the taste. No it wasn't sweet, but he supposed that the flavor would be similar if he were to sample the petal of a rose. Not at all unpleasant, he decided, and sat back once more onto the balls of his feet. He had elicited goose bumps on the unclothed flesh and was smiling at the involuntary reactions of the human body when he saw something that made his heart feel as though it had stopped. Light's breathing had changed, the muscled in his arms and shoulders had tensed and… his eyes were open.

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"What are you doing?" Light's voice was little more than a whisper but to L it was deafening. His eyes were barely open but to L they seemed glaring and accusatory. He was only slightly more alert than he had been in the elevator but to L it seemed as though he may try to bolt at any second despite the chain connecting them.

"Testing," L said finally. He cleared his throat. "You so rarely allow yourself to be unclothed for any extended period that I was concerned your skin may be suffering for it. Luckily I've concluded that due to proper washing and a wardrobe made up of light fabrics you are in no danger of losing your youthful glow. Well done."

"Uh huh… L you licked me".

"You're welcome".

"I wasn't- ok". Light sighed in defeat but didn't close his eyes again. Instead he watched the slightly ruffled detective crawl under the sheet and comforter and did the same himself. He found he was strangely ok with going without pajamas for the night, after all there was no point in hiding flesh from your roommate if he'd just had his mouth on it was there? He wondered if the wild-haired man's mood had improved any from earlier and decided to test the waters.

"So," he began, catching L's eyes with interest, "what did I taste like?"

To his surprise L averted his gaze as if embarrassed before looking at him again. "Flowers".

"Flowers? Show me." He shifted forward and L moved the same distance backwards, looking at him in confusion. Now it was the obtrusive detective's turn to ask questions.

"What do you mean? Light, what are you doing?"

"Sharing data," He smirked and was quickly in L's space with his head on the pillow while L lay propped up on one elbow looking down with an expression somewhere bashfulness and determination.

L lowered his head to Light's waiting mouth and with a tongue usually occupied with the last bit of icing on a cake fork or diminishing a colorfully swirled lollipop, traced a line just inside Light's upper lip. As the tip of his tongue reached the apex, Light closed his lips and gently sucked until L pulled away slightly and readjusted, coming in again this time to draw some of Light into himself. He entered willingly, and they stayed that way for a while, kissing almost innocently with L's long pale hand curled around Light's face, and Light's perfectly manicured fingers gripping the loose white fabric that covered L's chest. Slowly they separated, foreheads resting together and Light's eyelids once again starting to droop. L watched him, knowing that he still had a few hours to go before he'd sleep but that was just his strange wiring. After a short time watching Light's normally stony sleeping face relax into a serene smile, he decided there were worse ways to pass the time.

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The next morning as they dressed for the day L risked not looking away as Light changed. With a secret smile, Light let him. L had a triumphant smirk to himself as well and watched with gentle interest. Later before they entered the elevator Light linked his pinkie with L's who looked up, surprised at the affection despite what they'd shared. They both gave a squeeze to last them the day and a chaste peck on the lips before falling into their own tasks and thoughts.

Light flipped open a file, "_No doubt he'll be in a better mood today."_

L booted up his databases and set to reviewing, "_I must ask Watari to prepare a breakfast for the rest of the task force when they arrive. After all, they have been working very diligently" _

The day went along pleasantly with Aizawa seeming to forgive the events of the previous day and when Matsuda nervously confessed to having accidentally filed his wallet somewhere in one of the dozens of filing cabinets and needing some help finding it L merely clenched his jaw and assigned Mogi to the task, advising Matsuda to first check under "w". While the day may have gone just fine, when the clock read eight pm, L looked away from the screens to find Light's eyes on him and, swallowing, suggested that the Task Force call it an early night.

**END.**

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I know this didn't get very intense at all but depending on how this goes and if I can muster up the courage there may be a follow up to this in which things could get slightly… steamier. Wouldn't want to rush anything would we? ;)


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